Stora Bjälkarp, Naturreservat

Stora Bjälkarp Nature Reserve outside Broby is a forest reserve where you have the opportunity to see several rare lichens and the colorful firefly that lights up the tree trunks. There are also shiny green plumes of feather mosses on old beech trees. Around the forest there are small stone cairns from older times of cultivation. There is some evidence that the three-toed woodpecker is present in the area - is it?

Cultural history

Stora Bjälkarp is a forest reserve 3 km northwest of Broby in Östra Göinge municipality. The nature reserve has been dominated by beech forest for a long time, but has elements of swamp forest and spruce. The spruce has its southernmost natural distribution limit here. A large part of Stora Bjälkarp is also fossilized arable land (ancient monument) with about 300 low piles of stones, so-called clearing cairns. This shows human influence over a long period of time. The name Stora Bjälkarp appears in a document from 1514. The forest has been used relatively extensively, which explains the large content of late-growing trees and the amount of dead wood. Something that lies behind the great species richness.

Plants and animals

The forest has high natural values, several so-called value cores that have been classified as key biotopes and natural value objects by the Swedish Forest Agency. Both the late-growing trees and the amount of dead wood have contributed to a rich diversity of mosses, lichens and fungi on trees. Rare lichens such as beech lichen, barnacle lichen and old spruce lichen are found here. Among the fungi there are rarities such as firebug and chanterelle mushroom, and among the mosses there are rock fennel, curly moss and flat feather moss. Traces of the rare three-toed woodpecker have also been seen.

Outdoor life

Stora Bjälkarp is not a priority reserve in terms of facilities for outdoor life because it is located quite far from urban areas and in an area with great access to public land.

In English

Welcome to Stora Bjälkarp Nature Reserve

The nature reserve has been dominated by beech forest for a long time, but also has elements of a carr and spruce. The forest has many trees that has slowly grown over a
long period of time. There is also a lot of dead wood that contributes to a rich variety of lichens, fungi and mosses.

Here you will find rare species such as Lecanora glabrata and Thelotrema lepadinum, but also Lecanactis abietina that acts as a signal species for forests with high natural values.

There are also fungal rarities such as Pycnoporellus fulgens and Plicaturopsis crispa. Among the mosses you can find Frullania tamarisci, Ulota crispa and Neckera complanata. Traces of the endangered Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker have also been seen.

A large part of Stora Bjälkarp is fossil field areas (cultural remains) with about 300 low mounds of stones, so-called clearing cairns.

Regulations

Within Stora Bjälkarp Nature Reserve it is forbidden to:

• fall, break off branches or in any other way damage or remove living or dead trees or shrubs,
• dig, drill, paint or in any other way damage soil formations, stones, stone walls, boulders or other natural objects or cultural remains,
• carry out any form of construction work,
• collect mosses, lichens or wood-living fungi with the exception of individual voucher specimens and on condition that the collection is registered in the reporting system Artportalen and on condition that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations.

Furthermore, without permission from the County Administrative Board it is forbidden to:

• catch insects, spiders, gastropods or other invertebrate animals other than by netting, hand picking or other selective method with subsequent reintroduction within the nature reserve. The requirement for reintroduction does not apply to individual voucher specimens of each species on condition that the record is logged in the reporting system Artportalen and that the collection is not contrary to the species protection regulations.